AD Hardening
Active Directory & Windows Security
Simple
AD Hardening is a building block of "Active Directory & Windows Security". In plain terms: domains, kerberos, ntlm, group policy, ad attack paths and ad hardening. This topic focuses specifically on ad hardening and the core ideas you need to understand it.
Technical
Technically, AD Hardening involves the mechanisms, data structures and protocols that underpin active directory & windows security. You will study how it is implemented, how it is configured, how it fails, and how its behavior shows up in logs, traffic or code.
Why it matters
Active Directory runs identity for most enterprises; it is the primary target in internal breaches.
Example
In a real organization, professionals working in internal pentesting, red teaming, identity security, soc. rely on ad hardening to make decisions — for example, explaining an alert, hardening a system, or writing a finding in a report.
Practice idea
Build a small lab in a VM and experiment with ad hardening using the related tools below. Document what you observe.
Deep dive
Read the official documentation and relevant RFCs/standards for AD Hardening. Explore edge cases, internals, and how attackers and defenders view it differently.